Midnight Snacking? 3 Ways Munching at Night Affects Your Digestion

While eating late at night may seem natural to some, studies have shown that it has side effects, including disruptions to your body clock, which controls how your body works.

We frequently experience hunger pains while working late at night or binge-watching our favourite TV series, which usually leads us to eat heavy or junk food. We make an effort to consume wholesome foods throughout the day, but one poor meal at the wrong moment can ruin an otherwise productive day. Did you know that our whole protein-rich, low-carb diet, workout regimen, and calorie tracking are all undone by one meal? Ayurveda expert Dr Vara Yanamandra says that late-night may sound delicious and is difficult to resist at times. But it may not be a great thing for your digestion. The expert further reveals how late-night snacking affects digestion.

HOW DOES LATE-NIGHT MUNCHING AFFECT YOUR DIGESTION?

1. Acidity: Late-night snacking might lead to acidity or heartburn due to a relaxed oesophageal valve and cause regurgitation of stomach contents while lying down. Ayurveda recommends that ideally, dinner should be before sunset or at least by 7 PM.
2. Sleep: It can disrupt your sleep due to the fullness of your stomach. Ideally, there should be a minimum gap of 2 hours between dinner and sleep. That’s why Ayurveda says we need to be light and early. This ensures proper digestion of the food before sleep.
3. Indigestion: As 6 PM to 10 PM at night is Kapha dominant time, eating heavy, excessively salty and sweet foods at night is not a great idea. It could lead to indigestion as well.

Dr Vara says, “All and all it is not a good idea to eat late, keep it light and try to stay active before you hit the hay.

You may not truly need any additional food if you’ve previously had a healthy evening meal. Your hunger might also be another issue. Including fibre-rich snacks in your diet can help you feel fuller and more pleased while also enhancing your digestion and promoting better sleep. This will lessen the likelihood that blood sugar levels will significantly rise, decreasing the likelihood that the body would retain the excess sugar as fat.